A study on the toxicity of spontaneously molded bread

Molds of geni Penicillium, Aspergillus and Paecilomyces were found in spontaneously molded Finnish bread. Patulin was detected in 91% of 23 samples analysed in concentrations ranging from 27 to 138 microgram/kg. The toxin was found in dark bread in higher amounts than in white. Neither aflatoxins (12 samples) nor ochratoxin A (10 samples) were detected. Penicillic acid was found in one of five samples. No significant changes were found in the haemoglobin or leucocyte counts of rats kept on feed containing extracts of the molded bread. Extracts from bread contaminated with A niger were more toxic and less palatable than extracts from the other samples. The feeding test indicated a relatively low toxicity of molded bread.